Town guide

Filming in Guttenberg, New Jersey

A production guide to Guttenberg’s filming chapter as amended in February 2025, its published fee ceilings, its insurance and fire requirements, and three defects in the enacted text that a production needs to resolve in writing before it shoots.

Guttenberg is a Film Ready certified locality, confirmed both on the State list and in the Town’s own August 2025 announcement.

The law here is complete and current. What is missing is an application form and a published contact, and what needs clarifying is a fee cross-reference that points at the penalties section, an hours sentence that can be read two ways, and a waiver that refers to a cap the same ordinance repealed.

Information checked August 8, 2026

Checked Aug 8 2026

County: Hudson County
Film Ready treatment: Film Ready certified locality
Governing ordinance: Chapter 24, Filming, Ordinance #011/06, amended February 26, 2025 by Ordinance No. 03-2025
Codification status: Current. The eCode New Laws index for Guttenberg lists no pending ordinance, so the published chapter is the controlling text
Municipal starting point: Office of the Town Clerk, during normal business hours
Town Hall: 6808 Park Avenue, Guttenberg, NJ 07093
Application: A form approved by the Town Clerk. No form is published on the Town website, so request it from the Clerk
Decision-maker: Town Clerk issues, refuses and waives; appeals go to the Mayor and Council
Standard lead time: The fee table prices four or more days’ advance notice, and prices three or fewer days as expedited. The chapter states no separate filing deadline
Basic permit: $100 with four or more days’ advance notice, stated as a ceiling
Expedited permit: $250 with three or fewer days’ advance notice, stated as a ceiling
Nonprofit and student permit: $25, one time, no daily rate required, stated as a ceiling
Public-property daily fee: $150 where the budget is under $20,000,000; $500 where it is over. Both stated as ceilings
Private-property daily fee: No fee charged by the municipality where the shoot is unobstructed
Street closure: $1,000 for “less than 10,000 residents” and $5,000 for “more than 10,000 residents”. The measured population is not defined
Public-land insurance: $500,000 bodily injury for any one person and $1,000,000 for any aggregate occurrence, plus a written indemnity
Bond: None required by Chapter 24
Filming hours: 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. camera wrap, crew wrap 10:00 p.m., Monday through Sunday. The sentence ends “in residential zones”
Fire notification: Notify the Fire Inspections Bureau 24 hours before filming and allow inspection
Police: One or more off-duty officers when deemed necessary by the Police Chief
State notification: The Town notifies the Commission at filmreadynj@njeda.gov within 10 business days of an approved permit
Appeals: To the Mayor and Council, filed with the Town Clerk within 10 days, heard within 30 days
Penalties: Fine not to exceed $750, or imprisonment up to 90 days, or both

What this guide establishes, and what it does not

Guttenberg publishes its filming chapter in full, and that chapter was materially amended on February 26, 2025. The legal framework below is therefore complete and current: permit trigger, hours, insurance, fees, police and fire steps, appeals and penalties all come straight from the enacted text.

Two practical things are missing from the public record, and this guide does not fill them in.

No application form is published. Chapter 24 says the application is “in a form approved by the Town Clerk”. The Town website does not post one. Request the current form from the Clerk before you plan around any deadline.
No named film contact is published in a form we could read. The Town’s staff directory renders only with JavaScript, so no clerk name, direct line or email is repeated here. Town Hall is at 6808 Park Avenue and the site directs enquiries to the Clerk’s Office.

Read this first

Nothing on this page establishes current appearance, ownership, interior access, power, parking, loading, sound conditions or permission for any location in Guttenberg. Scout and clear every location separately from the permit.

Film Ready status

Guttenberg appears on the NJ Motion Picture & Television Commission’s certified-localities list, verified August 8, 2026.

The Town confirmed the designation itself in a news post dated August 22, 2025, quoting Mayor Wayne Zitt. That is an unusually clean pair of sources: the State list and the municipality’s own announcement agree.

Certification describes process readiness. It does not guarantee a permit, does not create a form where none is published, and does not reach County, State, federal, school or private property inside the Town.

Chapter 24 does carry one concrete Film Ready obligation. Section 24-2e requires the Town to notify the Commission at filmreadynj@njeda.gov within 10 business days of each approved permit, with the project and production company name, start and stop dates of physical production, total number of filming days and the addresses of the filming locations. Expect those details to be reported.

When a permit is required

Section 24-2a requires a permit before filming anywhere in the Town of Guttenberg, with the permit stating the location and the date or dates. Section 24-2d requires one permit for each location.

Section 24-2b then draws the line that matters on a small, dense street grid:

Read these two provisions together

“Incidental use of a public sidewalk or street which does not result in the closing of the street or sidewalk to public use shall not be considered filming on public land.”

That sentence governs whether the public-lands insurance and indemnity requirements in Section 24-3 attach, not whether a permit is needed. Section 24-2a still requires a permit to film in the Town. Read them together and confirm the Town’s position in writing before assuming a small crew on a sidewalk is outside the process.

Where filming takes place on private property, Section 24-2c requires the owner’s permission in writing. Section 24-15 exempts news filming, and is quoted verbatim further down because of how it is worded.

The fee cross-reference does not land where it should

Erroneous internal cross-reference

Section 24-2b sends you to the wrong section for the fee, and this guide does not correct it silently.

The enacted text reads that applications “shall be accompanied by a permit fee as set forth in Section 24-14.”

Section 24-14 is Violations and Penalties. The fee schedule is Section 24-13, Permit Fees.

The chapter was renumbered when the former Section 24-3, Frequency Restricted, was repealed on February 26, 2025, which is the most likely explanation. It is still what the ordinance says. Ask the Clerk to confirm in writing that Section 24-13 is the operative fee schedule before you pay anything.

Application, timing and the hours question

Permits are obtained at the office of the Town Clerk during normal business hours, on a form approved by the Clerk, with the fee.

Chapter 24 sets no filing deadline in its own text. The only timing rule anywhere in the chapter sits inside the fee table, which prices a basic permit at four or more days’ advance notice of the first day of filming and an expedited permit at three or fewer days. Treat four days as the working minimum and confirm it, because a fee tier is not the same thing as a deadline.

Filming hours, and a sentence that can be read two ways

Section 24-8, as amended February 26, 2025, reads in full:

“Filming shall be permitted only Monday through Sunday between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. (camera wrap) and crew wrap at 10:00 p.m., in residential zones.”

The qualifier “in residential zones” arrives at the end of the sentence, after the window. It can be read as limiting the whole rule to residential zones, leaving commercial and waterfront blocks unaddressed, or as a window that applies everywhere and is simply worded awkwardly. The chapter does not say which.

This is not an academic point in a town of Guttenberg’s size and density. Get the applicable hours for your specific block in writing, and get them before you publish a call sheet.

A waiver that points at a cap which no longer exists

Section 24-10 lets the Town Clerk waive requirements of the chapter, authorise filming outside the stated hours, and, in its own words, “permit filming at a particular location in a residential zone on more than four days during any one calendar year”.

Repealed restriction, surviving waiver

Nothing else in Chapter 24 imposes a four-day annual limit on residential locations.

The chapter’s former Section 24-3, headed Frequency Restricted, was repealed on February 26, 2025 by Ordinance No. 03-2025. The editor’s note recording that repeal is published with the chapter. The waiver provision that referred to the limit was left in place.

So the text now grants a waiver from a restriction that the same ordinance removed. Two readings are possible: that residential filming is no longer capped at all, or that the Town still administers a four-day practice. Ask which, in writing, before scheduling repeat days at one residential address.

Insurance and indemnification

Section 24-3 applies to filming upon public lands. No permit is issued unless the applicant:

Provides proof of insurance for bodily injury to any one person in the amount of $500,000
Provides proof of insurance for any aggregate occurrence in the amount of $1,000,000
Agrees in writing to indemnify and save harmless the Town from any and all liability or damages arising from the use of public lands

Chapter 24 requires no bond, and it does not state a property-damage limit, does not require the Town to be named as an additional insured, and does not set a cancellation-notice period. Those are common requirements elsewhere in New Jersey and their absence here is worth confirming rather than assuming, because a certificate that satisfies the ordinance may still not satisfy the Clerk.

Police, fire and site conduct

Section 24-11 requires the applicant to notify the Fire Inspections Bureau 24 hours before filming and to permit inspection of the site and equipment, complying with all fire safety instructions issued.

Section 24-12 provides that the applicant will be required to hire one or more off-duty police officers when deemed necessary by the Police Chief. The fee table bills police and fire at the Town’s standard hourly rates, which are not published. Request the current rate and any minimum call-out in writing.

Sections 24-4 through 24-7 carry the conduct obligations: minimise interference with pedestrians and traffic and comply with Guttenberg Police Department directives; minimise inconvenience to adjoining owners, abate noise and park off the public streets where practicable; avoid interference with previously scheduled activities on public lands; and remove all equipment, debris, temporary sets and temporary structures on completion or expiry of the permit, whichever comes first.

Published fee ceilings

Section 24-13, as amended February 26, 2025, is headed “Fee (not to exceed)”. Every amount below is a published maximum, not a quoted price.

Category	Fee (not to exceed)
Basic filming permit, one time, four or more days’ advance notice of the first day of filming	$100
Expedited basic filming permit, one time, three or fewer days’ advance notice	$250
Basic filming permit for nonprofits, including student films, no daily rate required	$25
Daily filming on public property, budget under $20mm	$150
Daily filming on public property, budget over $20mm	$500
Daily filming on private property, unobstructed	No fee charged by municipality
Off-duty police and fire inspections, per the agreed public safety plan	The Town’s standard hourly rates for police and fire, not published
Street closures, less than 10,000 residents	$1,000
Street closures, more than 10,000 residents	$5,000
Properties in background, or used, in shot	Negotiated between the production and a private business or residence
Daily prep, and daily filming, of a business being “dressed”	Negotiated between the production and a private business
Parking fees	Same rates that are charged to the public

Quick answer

These are ceilings, so do not budget from them as if they were invoices. The Town has not published the rates it actually assesses within those ceilings. Ask for a written, project-specific quote and for the method by which the charge is set.

Quick answer

Three gaps in the same table.

A budget of exactly $20,000,000 is not priced. The rows read “under” and “over” with nothing at the line.

A population of exactly 10,000 is not priced either. The closure rows read “less than 10,000 residents” and “more than 10,000 residents”.

Nothing says whose population is counted: the Town’s, the affected block’s, or the area behind the closure. Ask for the definition and the complete closure schedule before planning any closure.

Denial, appeals and penalties

Section 24-9a lets the Town Clerk refuse a permit on the basis of objective facts, after reviewing the application and a report from the Police Department and other Town agencies, where filming at the stated location or time would violate a law or ordinance, unreasonably interfere with the public’s use of public lands, unreasonably interfere with the use and enjoyment of adjoining properties, unreasonably impede traffic, or otherwise endanger public health, safety or welfare.

Section 24-9b sets the appeal route:

Appeal from the Clerk’s decision goes to the Mayor and Council
A written notice of appeal setting out the reasons is filed with the Town Clerk
It must be filed within 10 days of the Clerk’s decision
The Mayor and Council set a hearing within 30 days of filing
The decision takes the form of a resolution, approved at the first regularly scheduled public meeting after the hearing unless the appellant agrees in writing to a later date
If no resolution is adopted in time, the Clerk’s decision is deemed reversed and a permit issues in conformity with the application, or the relief is deemed denied

Section 24-14 sets penalties at a fine not to exceed $750, or imprisonment for up to 90 days, or both.

Who controls the location?

A Guttenberg permit reaches Town public property. It does not reach the following, and one of these is easy to get wrong here:

Waterfront Park, 7200 River Road

The Town’s own notice records that Waterfront Park is jointly owned and maintained by the Town of Guttenberg and the Township of North Bergen.

A Guttenberg permit is unlikely to be sufficient on its own for a shoot in that park. Raise the joint arrangement at first contact and ask which authority approves what, in writing, before you build a day around it.

County, State and federal property

Hudson County, the State and federal agencies each control their own property and process. Chapter 24 contains no carve-out for them, so assume both permissions are needed until told otherwise.

Schools and institutional property

School district and institutional property is controlled by its own board or administration, not by the Town.

Private property, including interiors and storefronts

Every private interior, storefront and residence needs the owner’s written permission under Section 24-2c in addition to the Town permit. The fee schedule expressly leaves background properties and dressed businesses to negotiation between the production and the owner, which confirms those are not municipal charges.

The news exemption, quoted as enacted

Section 24-15 reads, in full:

Quoted verbatim

“The provisions of this chapter shall not apply to the filming of new stories within the Town of Guttenberg.”

Every comparable New Jersey ordinance reads “news stories”, and Guttenberg’s own definition of filming is otherwise standard. This is almost certainly a typographical error in the enacted text.

It is quoted here exactly as published because this guide does not silently correct enacted language. Do not build a production around a literal reading of “new stories”.

Practical production planning

A working sequence for Guttenberg, based only on the checked sources:

Call the Clerk’s Office first and ask for the current application form, because none is published.
Ask, in the same call, which hours apply on your specific block, given how Section 24-8 is worded.
Confirm in writing that Section 24-13 is the operative fee schedule, since Section 24-2b points at Section 24-14.
If you need repeat days at one residential address, ask whether any frequency limit is still administered.
File at least four days out to stay inside the basic fee tier rather than the expedited one.
Bind insurance at $500,000 per person and $1,000,000 aggregate, and ask whether the Town also wants to be named as an additional insured, because the chapter does not say so.
Book the Fire Inspections Bureau notification at least 24 hours ahead and treat it as a hard gate.
Raise closures early. Both closure rows are priced, but the population they measure is undefined.
If Waterfront Park is on your list, resolve the joint Guttenberg and North Bergen position before scheduling.
Ask for a written fee quote, since every published amount is a ceiling.

Common questions

Is Guttenberg a Film Ready certified community?

Yes. Guttenberg appears on the NJ Motion Picture & Television Commission’s current certified-localities list, verified August 8, 2026, and the Town announced the designation itself in a news post dated August 22, 2025. Certification does not guarantee a permit and does not reach County, State, federal, school or private property.

How far ahead should I apply for a Guttenberg film permit?

Chapter 24 sets no filing deadline in its own text. The only timing rule sits in the fee table, which prices a basic permit at four or more days’ advance notice of the first day of filming and an expedited permit at three or fewer days. Treat four days as the working minimum, and confirm it with the Clerk, because a fee tier is not the same thing as a deadline.

How much is a Guttenberg film permit?

Section 24-13 is headed “Fee (not to exceed)”, so every figure is a ceiling rather than a quoted price. The published ceilings are $100 basic with four or more days’ notice, $250 expedited with three or fewer days, $25 for nonprofits including student films, and daily public-property filming of $150 under a $20mm budget or $500 over it. Unobstructed filming on private property carries no municipal fee. Ask the Town for a written project-specific quote.

Which section of the Guttenberg code sets the permit fee?

Section 24-13, Permit Fees. This matters because Section 24-2b tells the applicant the fee is “as set forth in Section 24-14”, and Section 24-14 is Violations and Penalties. The chapter was renumbered when the former Section 24-3 was repealed on February 26, 2025. Ask the Clerk to confirm the operative fee schedule in writing before paying.

What are Guttenberg’s filming hours?

Section 24-8 permits filming Monday through Sunday between 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. camera wrap, with crew wrap at 10:00 p.m. The sentence ends with the words “in residential zones”, so it can be read as applying only to residential zones or as a townwide window that is awkwardly worded. The chapter does not say which. Get the applicable hours for your block in writing.

Is there a limit on how often I can film at the same address in Guttenberg?

The chapter no longer states one. Section 24-10 lets the Town Clerk permit filming at a particular residential location on more than four days in a calendar year, but the section that restricted frequency, the former Section 24-3, was repealed on February 26, 2025 by Ordinance No. 03-2025. The waiver survived the restriction it referred to. Ask the Clerk whether any limit is still administered.

Does Guttenberg require a bond?

No. Chapter 24 requires proof of insurance for bodily injury of $500,000 for any one person and $1,000,000 for any aggregate occurrence, plus a written indemnity, but it does not require a bond. It also does not state a property-damage limit, does not require the Town to be named as an additional insured, and sets no cancellation-notice period.

Do I need a separate approval to film at Waterfront Park?

Probably, and you should confirm it early. The Town’s own notice records that Waterfront Park at 7200 River Road is jointly owned and maintained by the Town of Guttenberg and the Township of North Bergen. A Guttenberg permit alone may not be sufficient. Ask which authority approves what, in writing, before scheduling.

Official sources

Checked August 8, 2026 against Chapter 24 as amended February 26, 2025, the eCode New Laws index for Guttenberg, the Town’s Film Ready and Waterfront Park notices, and the State certified-localities list. Report a correction or updated permit requirement.

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Reviewed by Sam Moskowitz, producer & director of photography

This guide is researched and reviewed by Sam Moskowitz, a New Jersey-based producer and DP who runs BLL Films. Sam’s production and cinematography credits include work for Netflix, History Channel, Hulu, the NFL and Google. Every changing fact on this page carries a verification date; see how this site is researched for the full process.

More town production guides

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